Naruto: Guild Master
by IdeasMaker
Summary: Naruto never made it to Genin, since the Mizuki incident the council had all the power and rejected his entry. Without anything to go for, Naruto is left only for civilian work. Watch how the child of prophecy, the son of 4th Hokage and last heir of Uzumaki will change the ninja nation without becoming a ninja.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Just to note, I do not own Naruto and this fanfiction is made only as a hobby of mine.

To be honest, I have been working on this idea for a few years and surprised that no-one wrote something similar. At least from all the stories I have read, this idea was not used. The inspiration came from the anime or manga "Fairy Tails", and having seen some of that manga I wanted to borrow some of its element and use it in Naruto. However, no magic will be involved it is still a Naruto universe.

Anyway I like putting ideas and plots together in ways that I enjoy that I neglect to include lines of the conversation. It is different to all the fanfics so I am not sure if it is still accepted.

As English isn't my strong point, and in fact it is now my 3rd language on top of my job. Thus, for those who enjoy the story please refrain from asking me to write it up properly. If anyone is interested please feel free to use the idea, only condition is to make it a great story.

The Lone Uzumaki

Thanks to the Civilian council, they have succeeded in failing the only promising ninja-to-be student Uzumaki Naruto.  
Due to their prejudice of the demon Kyubi, the boy that can outrun ninjas Chunun, Jonin and Anbu on regular bases.  
The same blond that can prank the Byakugan users without being caught.  
Or to fool the elite and expert Inuzuka/Aburame trackers from finding him.

In his last and desperate attempt, he tried and successfully stolen the sealing scroll upon orders of his superior.  
He also learnt one of the forbidden techniques Shadow Clone Jutsu witin the span of a few hours.  
However, unknown to everyone he also gained the knowledge of Uzumaki clan techniques within the same scroll.

Lost in time, the forbidden scroll was not exactly what it supposed to be.  
It was first created by the wife of the first Hokage - Mito Uzumaki to hold her clan techniques.  
Then her husband also added his own secret jutsus for their descendent.

After his death the reason of its creation was lost because no one labelled it.  
Since only the Shodai Hokage's strongest jutsu was in it his brother thought of the idea to add his own forbidden jutsus.  
Unknow to the two Hokages, the scroll also contain Uzmaki Clan techniques but only react to clan members.  
Hence, until today no one knew the extra contents that was also hidden within the classified scroll.

The Shodai Hokage's brother called it the Forbidden Scroll because of all the high level techniques written down.  
He thought it would have been a good idea and too wrote his own forbidden arts like the "Impure World Resurrection".

While Uzumaki techniques were sealed they were never discovered unless you are a direct Uzumaki descendent.  
The trick was cleverly hidden within the lines that were thought to be patterns on the scroll.  
Besides it was purposely put on the outer part of the scroll to prevent thievery.  
If stolen the thief would thought it was a trick or security measure because they only see a blank scroll.

Unfortunately, since it is labelled as Forbidden scroll no one considered another purpose to it.  
Not only does the scroll contains all the Uzumaki arts, it also holds a small piece of the Sealer's soul.  
It was a secret of the Uzumaki for passing clan knowledge from one member to another.  
As leader of the clan, her soul will be the judge and teacher of their art if they are worthy.

Hence, when Naruto unsealed the scroll he was surprised to see his ancestor.  
Of course the Uzumaki matriarch was not pleased at how her clansmen was treated and forgotten.  
Thanks to the seals, Mito Uzumaki was able to see the future heir's life.  
It was designed this way so the summoner can be judged immediately without having to ask a 1000 questions.

Its the same reason the Konoha elders failed to get any Uzumaki techniques nor they were ever stolen by another village.  
The Uzumakis do keep their knowledge and seals very close to themselves hence why they were dangerous.  
Everyone just assumed that it was passed down from teacher to student by word of mouth or via apprenticeship.  
Otherwise little was known of the secret and mystery but dead clan.

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who's view it is.  
Iruka was not able to pass the blonde due to rules set by the civilians.  
They first demand to have him executed for his actions, but since evidence had shown Mizuki working for Orochimaru.  
Which was a greater threat that they can not be ignored thus the real culprit was prosecuted.

The Hokage was also too overwhelmed by the politics to overrule the verdict.  
While Naruto was able to both aid and capture the traitor without being a ninja.  
His crimes and inabilities presented by the council painted him a bad candidate for a protector or team as a ninja.  
With the increase of the civilian council, they somehow managed to get to voice and vote how the village should run.

Not able to become a ninja, Naruto did not have other resources to support himself.  
Obviously, most if not all Konoha civilians were and still are against him.  
There isn't any other work for the young self-supporting orphan boy.  
Even for others whom are not against him, the prejudice they would receive in assoication would be devastating.

As for the Uzumaki knowledge, like his ancestors he kept them secret and not even a word to his sensei.  
After-all, they were clan knowledge and as Mito had explained to him a secret to follow to the grave.  
Besides, no-one would know he received the knowledge the time of their interaction were less then a second.  
The mind within seals are like dreams, it may have felt like a day to a year but in reality it has only been a few hours.

With the secret of the clan knowledge Naruto will have to find his own way just like how his clan were in the beginning.  
To further apply to the academy is out of the question, it was already his third attempt to pass.  
The village would not put up with people wasting their time and money so that was his very last chance hence his desperation.  
However, unknown to the village and council they would not know the consequences for kicking out the last Uzumaki.  
Unfortunately, they would not see the effect until much later.

A New Profession?

Since he can no longer be a ninja, he is by law not restricted to the Hokage's control nor protection.  
While the civilians can not do anything directly, they can still try and crush him indirectly within the laws of the village.  
To the civilian council, the demon Jinchuriki is a dark spot and filth that require cleansing from their great Homes.

As it stands they believe the boy will eventually starve and die in the alley or leave their peaceful village.  
It was how they have planned it since he was in the orphanage.  
Perhaps now it was back to square one, but a small victory as they have stopped it from gaining anymore power by becoming a ninja.  
Who knows what it would do with it when it does.  
Having it failing the third and final time, they felt everything is back on track and all they have to do is wait.

Too bad they don't know him and the Uzumakis very well, with both his father and mother's genes he is never one to give up without doing anything.  
As our blonde hero leaves the academy, he knew he no longer receive his funds as he is no longer a student.  
He will have to make a living by some other means.

Considering his options, the only possible profession he could think of would be with the Ramen chef Ichirakus.  
However, he knows the consequences if he is to work there because of his popularity business would not be thriving very well.  
Unfortunately, that was possibly the only place that would treat him fairly.  
Thanks to his will of never to give up, he look around in hope to find somewhere else he could be.

In his short tour around the village, he immediately knew how small his options are.  
Only a short glance in the eyes of the owners, depending on the glares he got the answers before he can ask.  
Sadly after spending half a day looking he end up in front of a weapon shop.

Still reminiscing in the ninja ways, he thought he could at least take a break and look around.  
Maybe he can get an idea what he could do afterwards or perhaps becoming a mercenary or go into hunting.  
In both professions he will need weapons, it is no harm to check out what is available.  
Besides there are no laws against civilians carrying around a weapon.

While looking around he came across some sealing tags and were quite fascinated by it.  
It triggered somehow some form of recognition as if he had previously studied them in the past.  
He was woke-up from his thoughts when the owner came over and offer his assistance.  
Surprised at the friendly greeting, Naruto was happy someone could be indifference to him.  
It was due to that the two got into some heated discussion on sealings.

The owner may not be a seal maker but he at least have some knowledge of his own trade.  
After-all you don't want to supply your ninja customers with fake tools or seals.  
It wouldn't do well for his business if the quality is not trust worthy.  
Hence, with the standard seals he knows the fundamental basics to what makes a seal genuine.

Normally, sealing consists of fixed stokes with brush and ink similar to hand seals.  
Therefore it is important to know the correct proportions for each and every individual seal and what it does.  
Every stoke of brush and ink would be like ninja hand seals where chakra would flow to make the jutsu effective.

Naruto wondered if sealing could replace or replicate hand seals and voiced it.  
Of course, this question baffled the owner and wondered why no one ever thought of it.  
It seems theoretically possible and workable but he couldn't really give a satisfying answer.  
He can only assume that it may be impractical because you don't need seals to do what a ninja can already do.

Then Naruto had suggested different scenarios like handicap ninjas may use them.  
Or the ninjas can fire multiple jutsus at the same time.  
As each new idea mentioned, the owner too was interested what the kid would come up next.

He had seen and heard of the boy before him, he was after all quite infamous in the village.  
As an ex-ninja himself he felt the boy was unjustly treated and believed Konoha had just lost a high potential ninja.  
While he can't change the boy's future, it doesn't mean he can't help him.  
Besides, he kinda liked the boy as he is.  
The kid may not be a ninja, but he seems to know what he is talking about.  
It was also the reason he want to give the boy a chance.

His grandfather, in his younger days had numbers encounter with the Uzumakis.  
Hence in many of his stories he often talked about them and how amazing they were.  
Dustin Higarashi, Ten-Ten's father had only met one Uzumaki before the one in front of him believed the boy can do great things.

After taken time talking to the boy, it amazes even more on the ideas of new seals and why nobody came up with them.  
Theoretically, it seems plausible and would have been a great idea but why was it not created in the first place.  
As it was one of the less known technique in the ninja world, thus Hiarashi was both quite interested and impressed.  
Hence, he offered the boy the opportunity for making seals that is providing he can prove they do indeed work along with its quality.

As for Naruto, when he first took notice of sealing tags he remembered some of the conversation he had with Mito.  
The advantage of Uzumaki Clan Soul Seal is you can transfer mass of information and techniques within a short span of time.  
In a sense, Mito had pass on all the Uzumaki knowledge within a few minutes or hours depending on how quick the mind can assimilate information.  
The technique works similar to receiving a dream where a person's sub-conscious may experience many hours even days but in reality only a few minutes passed.

Under normal circumstances, the human brain should not be able to assimilate this much information.  
However, the trick is to imprint the knowledge into the sub-conscious so that it later be recalled.  
This way, the knowledge or event could be stored like an archive and the receiver only remembers the knowledge only by trigger of event or something similar that links to the information.  
In Naruto's case, when he sees the sealing tags it triggered the hidden memory of what he learned on sealing from Mito.  
Though the young Uzumaki may not remember everything, but slowly the knowledge will surface eventually.  
It is also part of the Uzumaki clan secret and why most of them are very good in seals.  
Besides the practice also encourage hard work, because only the ones actively seek knowledge in order for them to gain them.

So when Naruto thought to practice seal making as living he was surprise Dustin immediately supported him and offered his deal.  
In the end, Naruto took some sealing tools and supplies for him to work on for free.  
Not waiting to be questioned, Dustin just let the boy know that it was part of his investment on him because he really do believe in him.  
He also mentioned his grandfather telling him stories of Uzumakis and how great they used to be.

Before Naruto leaves the shop, Dustin offered to tell him about those Uzumaki stories next time when they are together.  
Unknown to Dustin Higarashi, he not only given the blond incense to believe again but also a friend that can count on.  
To Naruto, it is something never ever given to him in his entire life.  
Such small offer of kindness is like a life debt that needed to be paid back as he vowed to himself he will not left the man down.

The two had worked out a deal together where the shop will provide all the material as long as he supplies the tags.  
With the last words to the blonde to impress him the boy left to start his first sealing business.  
The owner may not know what he had done, but Naruto vowed to blow him away.  
Seeing the boy leave he hope the boy wouldn't mean it literary as he did say he will be making explosive tags.

Dustin had heard how the last Uzumaki were kicked out of the ninja program and knew which party are responsible.  
Since the shop is mainly for ninjas, thus the civilian council has no hold on him.  
Though on occasions he does sell to normal civilians but it does not mean they have a say in what he could sell.  
Hence, Naruto is lucky to find his shop and him that is not fully controlled by neither ninja nor civilian.

Thanking the old man, Naruto began his own legacy and started off with simple and yet common seals - explosive tags.  
It only took a few days to create and make, his first tags had not only impressed the owner but will also caught the eyes of many ninja customers.  
The specialties of his tags are you can change the blast radius and much more robust.  
Compared to the common tags, Naruto's are more durable as you can increase the blast range by adding more chakra thus making they more powerful.

While the explosive tags are impressive, Dustin was more interested in the label the boy added to all tags he made.  
From what the boy had explained, he didn't want the public to know who the creator is thus all his designs were marked with UZU as trademark.  
What is more intriguing is that it glows when you apply chakra on it, it is said to be a way to distinguishing its authenticity.  
Just from moment onwards, Dustin knew how special the boy is he was never ever been so sure in his life.  
In fact, he would bet his own life on it.  
He don't know when, but in the near future the boy will shake the world.

New Branch of Seals

With his explosive tags business going well and steady he don't have to worry too much on living expenses.  
However, after talking to Dustin he was encouraged to continue to make new tags and increase his revenue.  
Like all ninjas you never know what happens tomorrow and while his explosive tags were a great seller but it will eventually slow down because not every ninjas uses them.  
Thus he added new agenda to his to do tasks and work on other tags and also create new ones.

So far he had improvised all Dustin's tags, he had added many functions to the standard issued tags and made them even more versatile.  
This again shaken the ninja world as all ninjas from genin to anbu come checking out his new tags and what they can do.  
While not all ninjas uses or buy any of the tags but since they are in ninja shops you never know who would use them on you.  
Besides, these new tags are interesting too as every ninja wanted to try them out anyway.  
It's like fireworks, you just want to light it up to see what it really do.

Aside from the standard ninja tags, Naruto one day brought up a new business proposition and took it to Dustin.  
He came up with the idea during one of his think-up-a-new-tag sessions.  
Thanks to his pranking nature, and along with children playing ninja he created a new variation of explosive tags.  
It was all part of his discovery when he was experimenting with normal paper instead of actual sealing paper.

Using his clones he was able to test new ideas in safety and still experiencing its effects.  
As a result, he had discovered most were quite useless for Ninjas but instead it gave him other ideas.  
Thus, the shop start selling harmless paint tags.  
They were only made of normal paper therefore cheap to make and produce.  
Usually no one really bother making such useless tags but thanks to his clones he can mass produce them.

With a minor modification of the original explosive seals, he was able to convert chakra into harmless colors he wants.  
So aside from ninjas, he now has new customers in village children.  
Thanks to the cheap materials he uses and efficiency in making them even young civilian children can afford them.

In fact, the cheap tags are also popular for ninjas as they use them for training in place of real explosive tags without the risk of death.  
To the surprise of Dustin, the Hokage also came along with Iruka because they were thinking of inducting them to the academy.  
Happy that Naruto's design gave him more business Dustin will have to tell him to make new batch for the academy.  
He knew the boy will make new upgrades soon, its a good business tactic for clients to ask for more as you bring out newer and better products later.

True enough, three months later Naruto gave him some premium versions that actually simulates the explosion but without the risk of injury.  
By combining wind and sound seals, he was able to create an equivalent effect of a fully charged explosive tag.  
Again it did an astonishing job to impress both Dustin and the Hokage, and a must have for advance trainings for both Anbu and Jonins which the village happily paid for.

Before he made those seals, Naruto was not idle with the children stuff.  
With Konoha being a ninja village, Naruto knew what exactly kids want and with his paint tags selling like hot cakes he is also making money from the civilians.  
Since they are just harmless tags, even children are able to get their hands on them.  
Though the kids normally uses them for pranks and ninja games that they often participates in.  
With their rise in popularity Naruto had made a seal stamp for mass production purpose.

For the more complex and new discoveries, he start hiding the sealing by covering the original with either paints and other markings.  
Thanks to his Uzumaki heritage, every seal that he makes are more potent than any seal master simply because he added chakra as he draws them.  
It makes the seals they make stronger and more versatile, hence when Naruto paint or draw something over them the seal will still function.  
With this to his advantage, even Jiraiya could not duplicate his creation.

That's how he made the premium training tags, hiding both his Uzumaki secrets as well as his own creations just as Mito wanted him to do.  
Using different conversion and arrangement seals he made new tags such as Shock and Earth Spear Tags.  
What is even more amazing, they were new trap tags that can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.  
Thanks to new feature he added, the tag has a delay execution timer or a more unique feature sensor trigger.  
By adding small chakra as power source, the seal will react upon detection of another approaching chakra signal.

As Naruto continues to learn and study his sealing heritage, every now and then new and different variation of tags continues to surface in Konoha.  
Due to that, the shop that sells these tags had became a hot spot for ninjas of all ages and ranks.  
Most were checking out new tags either for their own use or be wary of its existence.  
For an active field ninja, you never know when your enemy would use one on you.

To ninjas that knew something about sealing, they were quite fascinated how and who could have come up with such ingenious ideas.  
The seals itself made their original like ancient relic in comparison.  
Thanks to its popularity, ninjas had often talked about who the maker was, and which nation UZU belonging to.  
To this day, Konoha still not known whose supplying them these new tags.

Some speculates that it belongs to some retired ninja, while some thought it was a rich and genius noble that started the idea.  
People often associate popularity to nobility hence the mindset of noble clans such as Uchiha and Hyuga are all strong and great.  
Add to the fact of the strange logo UZU on every tag gave everyone the impression that it belonging to some big company.  
Like all other marketing goods, Konoha didn't suspect the mystery of UZU otherwise they would have known only Konoha seems to have these tags.  
It is like fish, no-one would care or investigate where they come from as long as the shop tell you otherwise.  
Just like the seal tags, Dustin tells everyone that he got them as latest shipment and no-one is suspicious.  
Even when the Hokage asks, Dustin only says he got them from one of the merchants and will continue to bring more when supplies became available.  
The Hokage would just nodded and be on his way, it is not the leader's job to question every product as long as it is not a danger to the village.  
Besides the tags had only made the village and his ninjas more durable thus he has no complains.

With Naruto's branch seals and his insistence, the weapon shop now has a children's section.  
When the blond came in one day and ask Dustin to expand his shop to include a section for kids, Dustin thought he was joking.  
However, since Naruto would pool his expenses for this extension the owner knew he is serious.  
Hence, now the shop is double the size it used to be and a complete section for the kids.

Just when Dustin thought he knew enough about the boy, the kid just seems to surprise him more.  
Aside from seals, Naruto made number sets of ninja kits designed for the young ones.  
The old man doesn't know what the boy is cooking up, but since everything he makes sells he would not be surprised it something that would bring another storm.  
He will just have to wait and see.

True enough, not long since the new stuff went out someone was brought to the Anbu headquarters.  
It wasn't later they found out it was some kid that brought a full ninja gear from Higurashi's shop.  
The child was nabbed because he dressed suspiciously and sneaking around the village like an enemy ninja.  
What caught Ibiki's eyes was the suit and the matching equipment, even to the trained eye it is very well made and something that would have been for real ninjas.  
Only differences between the real thing and that were the materials used.

Trying not to scare the kid more than they have already done so, he reprimanded his subordinate and get him to escort the kid out.  
Though he had to applaud the maker because even he could easily made the same mistake if he wasn't careful.  
Now he know another of Higurashi's new toys, it has been one of the main topics among the Anbus as they too find many uses in the new UZU seals.  
Since the premium tags were released the Hokage had incorporated large of these tags and used them to upgrade the Anbu training.  
Ibiki couldn't fault the Hokage for spending large amount of village coffer on these seals, even he himself was quite amazed and his ninjas were better equipped against explosive tags.

As for the children in the village, since mistaken capture of civilian child the kid had became a hero among his peers.  
In fact it was one of the biggest topics shared not only among children but also civilians and ninjas.  
If a normal civilian is brought in to an Anbu headquarter for any reason, they did have nightmare for the rest of their life.  
However, the boy seem to have an opposite effect to the experience as he returned all giddy and hyperactive.  
While it is scary at first, but after realizing the fact that he was the only kid ever been in the Anbu Headquarters.  
True enough he was like a hero to all the other kids as he talk about his experience and how he ended up there.

On the other hand, children were normally not taken seriously or is consider a joke because they "PLAY" ninja.  
This time however one of them was mistaken for real, it got them all hyped up.  
Now even more children running around with Higurashi's ninja kits that cause ninjas even more headaches.  
To the horrors of the Anbus, Naruto had introduced new camouflage sets among others.

Of course the incident too had been brought up a few times within the council discussion.  
Some had suggested to ban the import and stop Higurashi from selling anymore UZU products.  
Since the appearance of this mystery UZU stuff, the other ninja shops are losing customer because only Higurashi supplies them.  
So some of the other civilian owned market complained to the council in hope to get rid or at least get the contracts for themselves.

Unfortunately, their plan failed and they had only themselves to blame.  
Apparently, the civilian shops had made bad impressions to the UZU representative so only Higurashi was able to get the contract.  
When they tried to get more information, Higurashi only mention they were here the day after the genin graduation.

Every civilian remembered that day, it was the same day the demon child was looking for jobs and some of them openly kicked boy out only to showered by praises themselves.  
They remember smirking themselves as the whole market glared at the demon child and wishing they were the ones to put him in place.  
Higurashi can only laugh internally at their frustration as they continued to blame the boy for their misfortunes.  
They would not dare to voice it, or even mention it in the meeting.

The civilian council may have won the round regarding the Jinchuriki, but it left forever a nasty scar in the council room.  
Whenever anything to do with the boy was brought up, the village leader would explode in anger or frustration.  
Neither was good for the health of the civilians as the last fool was taken to Ibuki.  
He was charged with constantly bring up irrelevant cases and disrupting the meeting.

So whenever the discussion gears towards the boy, the civilians would cautiously steer it away.  
Hence, when it seems that the Hokage about to find out how Naruto was treated that day, they expertly steer away and on to to the next topic.  
Since they can not get the contract or to share the wealth they will try to stop it from making more business.

True that the UZU products were amazing and dangerous, they also leaves a mess in the village.  
Taken evidence from accidents with UZU explosive tags that blew up the entire training ground to kids pranking the village.  
The civilians council pointed out how dangerous and bad influence these products were becoming since its release.

Unfortunately for them and for the sake of argument.  
The Hokage had point out that they can not punish the maker or distributor for what the user do.  
It shut them all up when he also mentioned that some of their children were also responsible for the state the village is in.  
Besides if the ban is applied, the village will know it is them who is responsible because they are the ones that supported the verdict.  
He also added that he don't want his grandson to hate him for taken away his and his friend's games and neither should the rest of the councils.  
This statement seem to have quite an impact as civilian side quickly quieten down.

While the civilian side was not happy, the ninja council were quite the opposite.  
In fact they were quite fond of the UZU products, especially for clans and ninja parents.  
They recognized the practical aspects of the so-called toys as they are like the real deal only with normal and common material.  
The other advantage is that it encourages more children to become ninjas and join the academy.

Therefore most clan children had been in fact encouraged to have or buy a set of them.  
When the stuff first appeared, the adults had thought nothing of them because they are for kids.  
However, when the incident about some kid was brought to Anbu headquarters they began to see why.

Having brought a set from Higurashi's store and compare it against the standard ninja full equipment issue they were amazed.  
Not only were they professionally made and captured every detail, they were even more practical then the real thing.  
The children may think the extra pockets are cool, especially mean more equipment but professional ninjas they see many other uses.  
Especially when the design was built for the given the profession that was meant for gave them all the answer they already knew.

Some other completed gears were so fancy that some believed the maker made it as a joke.  
However, the Nara had thought otherwise and Higurashi confirmed it.  
Ninja camouflage without ninjutsu, whoever thought of them.  
Apparently, some guys from UZU company had came up with it.  
To this day, they still think that UZU is a massive company with many geniuses employees.

In the end, the council did not issue any punishment and agreed the victims can hire genins to clean up the mess.  
Again, this result in more D rank missions thus making the Hokage quite pleased at the outcome.  
Clans had no issues as the blame would land on their own security and it helps to know who is not doing their job seriously.  
Besides, as a clan they have enough funds for lowly D rank missions or their security guard can clean their own mess.

They can not ban it because if their own children heard they were responsible it's likely they will hate them.  
Strangely, the civilian council got the feeling that the whole issue was staged against them.  
Since the start of the meeting, the topic regarding UZU had put them against themselves and their own children.  
Never had they sat in the council meeting feeling out of control and powerless.  
Still, they didn't thought too deep into it and chalk it up as coincidence.  
As a result no action were taken and UZU products continues to sell and dominate the Konoha market.

Unknown to them it was part of Naruto plan, as he had already anticipated the possible problem with the council and brought it up with Dustin.  
He knew if he want to expand in his business while in the village, he will eventually clash with them.  
While Dustin said the civilian council has no hold on what and who he do business with, Naruto knew the council better than he does.  
In his own way he made sure his first benefactor and business partner would stand on his own while he continues to cash in from Konoha.

The best method to get the enemy do what you want is to get them to participate.  
It is not like he is targeting their children specifically, but if the whole village children is involved then it doesn't matter.  
End result is just as Higurashi-san had seen in the council meeting which is a huge success and the council can no longer bother him.

Too bad the civilians can not see it because their children's pranks is only just the beginning.  
Not that Naruto were controlling them, they were involved simply as cover and protection for other children.  
This way, Naruto is able to continue to sell his UZU goods without them all over his case.  
Since talking to Dustin the owner of the weapon shop, he knew and had to prepare for this day.

Dustin may have told him in the past that the council may not have any control to how he run his shop, so he can relax not to worry for him.  
However, Naruto had seen the greed in the civilians especially the ones on the council.  
He wouldn't be surprised if they will find some way or another just to get their own wallet to grow fatter, it's just a matter of time and opportunity.

The ninja part may not be so bad but the fat civilians and merchants they are simply corrupt.  
Ever since leaving the ninja force, Naruto had disappeared from the village as no one had heard anything from him and Naruto aims to keep it that way as long as he can. It saves him the trouble of facing the council and answering question he didn't want to give away.


	2. Chapter 2 - Setting up Bases

Disclaimer: Just to note, I do not own Naruto and this Fanfiction is made only as a hobby of mine.

Many thanks for the support to this story. I was not expecting many audiences thus was quite content as it is but I must admit that the response was quite welcome. As I am still quite new to the Fanfiction system, thus still find many new features I was not aware of.  
Anyway for this story, I must add that it already has a conclusion and I planned to stop once Naruto establishes his Guild nationwide and uncontested. I don't plan to include too many scenes from the Naruto series therefore only a few worth mentions such as Tazuna the Wave bridge builder. He may appear in the next chapter if I don't add many more scenes.  
Thanks to some encouragement, I had added a few more scenes in detail and hope you like it.

The Uzumaki Art

While Naruto is still busy making seals and inventing new ones, he was not idle with his other studies.  
With his shadow clones he has near unlimited supply of workforce and anything his clones learned he learned.  
Hence, he has no trouble starting his other projects while still able to study his Uzumaki techniques.  
Since he can no longer be a ninja, it was still a sore subject that will always remind him of his failures.

Even with his seal business going well, he had considered using some of his resources and hire professional ninjas to teach him.  
Only problem is there are no Konoha ninjas that would truly teach him anything, his past experience with Mizuki had taught him that.  
Speaking of training, he remembered the kata Mito had shown him while he was in the seal she had said that it was the basics of the Uzumaki style that he must master even in his sleep.  
She had reminded him that they are the key fundamental parts of the whole Uzumaki style therefore he must be proficient in.

Since she also said that it can be used both in Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, he decide to also get a sword for his next step of his training.  
He knew the Uzumaki art and kata can not be learned easily, thus he will need to train for them and also hope to unlock more of what he can remember.

Like sealing, the style was shown to him by Mito by means of a kata.  
Sadly Naruto was not very impressed as it looked more of a dance then real combat.  
He was immediately corrected later after being the receiving end of Mito's live demonstration of an Uzumaki Slap.

Amazingly even in seals, he still remembers the pain of his beating as well as the close cuts he received during his life demonstration.  
Mito was very strict in their family art as she reminded him this was the core foundations of all Uzumaki techniques.  
As she demonstrates both sword and fist fighting in general and both at the same time by switching in between katas.  
Not only that, the way she had done them was so beautifully performed that Naruto had a hard time realizing when she lost her weapons.

In the end Naruto had admired the fluidity and smooth her movements were after understanding the fundamental aspect of the true Uzumaki style.  
He too began to see how great a Kunoichi she was as she demonstrates both the Uzumaki circles and whirlpool style for both offence and defence.  
Mito Uzumaki was not some random Uzumaki that came to Konoha, she was the heir of their clan and also the best in her generation.  
The Uzumakis do not make sacrifices, they truly desire merging of both Senju and Uzumaki thus the reason Konoha had use of their symbol as a shown of eternal friendship.

In the Uzumaki art, both the spinning or redirection were widely used.  
The complexity of the kata utilizes the full body, joint and step movements and applies to all forms of combat.  
Like the Hyuga's Eight Trigram attacks and Heavenly Spin defensive shield they were similar to Uzumaki's form and style.

Only differences are its versatility and just as Mito had demonstrated, Uzumakis can use the same form for both Taijutsu, Kenjutsu and even ninjutsu.  
Having been the test dummy personally, Naruto knew how deadly Mito's circular motions and whirlpool style can be when she incorporated them in her attack.  
By the time he walked back to his mentor she asked him what he thought of the Uzumaki slap.

Since then the boy had took care not to look down on the art while Mito smirks.  
Good old Uzumaki teaching philosophy, it was passed down from generation to generation and works everytime.  
It worked especially well on Uzumaki children as they were often born hot headed.

Even now Naruto still flinches every time he perform that kata.  
He would not know it now, but in the near future this will become one of his most devastating techniques.  
By then he probably wished Mito hadn't told him it was an Uzumaki discipline technique.  
It just make it more humiliating for him and his enemy if he decides to tell them.

In the meantime, he will need to practise.  
Even Mito had reminded him that all technique he learned within the seal would not be useful unless he work for them.  
He can still remember her last advise, Uzumaki do not give away their techniques they must work for them.  
If he had been a ninja he would have said the Path to Hokage have no short cuts, one must work long and hard for it.  
Therefore when Miko had said something similar, the blond rekindled his flame.  
Only this time he will be strong as an Uzumaki and make his ancestor proud of him.

Thus the reason why he spends his time training, but only in the evenings because that when training grounds are empty.  
It is also the time when most ninjas are on missions or just returning, and normally they would not come to the training grounds.  
Only a few crazy ones like Maito Gai and his student Lee would continue this late.  
Just to be careful, he had erected an invisible barrier as well as a few clones patrolling the area.

Thanks to his clones he can make as many sparing partners he want.  
Since they do take one clean hit to dispell it will take quite a challenge to bring their level up.  
On the other hand, it also shows how loose his defences are.  
It was also a good idea of him to have multiple clones observing the fight, it helps him to see and correct his stances.

With no teacher as a guide, Naruto can only rely on himself and his memories from the seal.  
Naruto knew if he is serious in bringing back the Uzumaki art, he really has a long way to go.  
However, just like his catch phase on becoming Hokage there are no short cuts.  
Since he is no longer a ninja, he guess he will have to change his goal, and it will be the Uzumaki way.

He was very grateful for Mito in showing him the Uzumaki style, not only had she point out the importance of each movement she also explains to him why.  
The Uzumaki katas are not just a dance but carefully selected movements that aims to program your body to remember its motions.  
When the body is well trained, it will take less time for it to act like an autopilot whereas the mind can work on something else.  
For an experienced Uzumaki, both their mind and body can act independently for a short amount of time so they can concentrate on other tasks.

A good Uzumaki can fight and defend instinctively with their body, while their mind thinks on a plan.  
With only a short command they can divert their body to switch and adapt to all situations.  
Thus the reason for mastering the katas, it helps the body to adjust to the motion while the brain commands it.

When Naruto had first started with the kata, he found himself adjusted to the style quite naturally.  
Unlike the academy taught version, it came out very different and often conflicted with his other body movements.  
After some practise he was quite happy to find great improvements from his clone during their daily spars.  
So later he had group of them training on the same kata hoping to gain more experience.

Knowing what his clones learned he learned, it was quite impressive if anyone can see through his training.  
It was like an army behind him as he lead them in the katas, he was motivated and so was his clones.  
Since his clones all have their own thoughts and Naruto despise loneliness they each help encourage one another.  
So when he spar with his clones he felt happy when they improve.

The times he was with Mito he was happy he gets to meet a member of his family.  
However, once out of the seal he was once again felt a little lonely but he still remember her final words.  
Uzumakis were legends not because of their name, they believed more in hardwork than talent.  
Above all that, they value family more than anything.

It's the whole reason why it took 3 major and some minor villages to even bring them down.  
Though the Uzumakis were no more, Naruto felt proud of his clan and vowed to live up to the name Uzumaki.  
The last memory of Mito was of her approval and acceptance, its more then anything Naruto had ever hoped for.

Information Network

Since then, weeks later Naruto was return from one of his training that he encountered a group of chunins ganging on a civilian.  
He may not have much love for Konoha but as an Uzumaki and as himself he is not going to pretend nothing happened.  
The ninjas were half drunk, so it was easy for him and his clone to sneak behind them and them all out.  
He then had his clones position them like they been hugging each other and left them in the ally.

Just for added pre-cautions, he also emptied half their bottles over them and attach them to their hands to make it look like they were totally hammered.  
So when they woke up they will not suspect anything and the headache coming from alcohol and not the chop to their neck.  
They wouldn't talk about it anyway since no-one would want to talk about how they woke-up between each other's legs.  
Especially after they wake up in the 69 position of one another with their lower half exposed, Naruto did that as guarantee for them not to talk.

Naruto had to take every pre-caution as he can, he was also in henge when he rescued the girl.  
Unfortunately she was still in shock and would let go of him, he can understand how terrifying it was to have been held helpless by 3 trained ninjas.  
She was so scared that he only managed to find out she was from the local massage parlor after a few minutes comforting her, telling her she is safe.  
Taking pity in the girl, he escorted her back to prevent further attacks and also to let her know she is not alone.

Konoha maybe a peaceful village, but there are always some areas that are not so friendly as well as local gangsters.  
Like the other nations, people are separated by classifications and labels.  
The girl he had helped, she is an good example of the lower class civilian.  
They are often subject to many mistreatment and sometimes considered as objects as the rich buy and sell them like cattles.

It is good thing the matron of the establishment is not a bad person, because Naruto wouldn't know what he would do if she is.  
Her name is Shigure and the girls called her Lady Shigure or just Mom as she treat them all like they were her own girls.  
Though it is a massage joint, there are few occasions their clients request more then a simple back rub.  
If push comes to shove necessary, Lady Shigure would have given them the boot or send them through the window regardless of which floor they were on.

Customer or no customer she didn't care no one messes with her girls.  
It is also the general reason she often butt heads with the council.  
Still, even with her protection her girls were never viewed as equals they were still seen as objects and there's nothing she can do about it.

She is also a retired kunoichi and since leaving the forces, she's been picking up girls she found on the streets and offered them work and shelter.  
Too bad she only takes in girls because she didn't know what to do with the boys.

So when one of her girls was late on one of her errands, she was so worried she would storm out to find her herself.  
She didn't have to because Naruto showed up and brought her back.  
Due to Shigure's insistency the henged boy stayed to tell her his story and reassured her that the ninjas were taken care off.

Unknow to him, the matron was not only a retired Kunoichi she is also an infiltration and seduction mistress.  
She can easily see and detect his henge but just wanted to delay him to find out who he is.  
However, after hearing his tale she was sure that this individual is non other than the infamous Uzumaki Naruto.  
Only the blond prankster could use such plan and made it actually work.

So when she called him out, she was both amused and amazed for his acting skills.  
She was amazed because the boy was still calm and made no sudden movements like it didn't really concern him.  
If she were a normal civilian she would have been fooled and question her intel.  
However, she was a former ninja and specialises in information gathering, even the small action such as twitching would not escape her.

Before Naruto can make any rash decision, the matron reassure him she mean no harm.  
Especially after he had saved one of her girls, she exposed him just so he understands his henge is useless against specialists like her.  
Only after she told him people like themselves should stick together did Naruto managed to calm down.

Having established some form of connection, Shigure offered him secure intel within Konoha in exchange for some protection.  
She clarified that she wanted his clones to watch her district and keep all her girls safe.  
At first Naruto declined her because he didn't believe her network would be that helpful.  
However, he changed his mind when she brought up the last council meeting and his involvement.  
Especially when the woman was able to deduced the fact that he was the man behind UZU.

With some basic explanation on how she gather information and put them together Naruto was amazed and agreed with the deal.  
He was very impressed at how the intel were almost meaningless when gathered by individuals.  
It also help keeping the information secure as the informant only know a piece of the complete picture.

Take Dustin Higurashi's shop for an example, his appearances there is meaningless as well as his failure in Genin Graduation is just news.  
However, together with UZU seals and other new products start surfacing as well as actions of children pranking the village added to the mix.  
When paired against the profile of one Uzumaki Naruto, in Lady Shigure's eyes, it is like a signature it is exactly what Naruto would do.

Naruto couldn't help but laughed at his plan to conceal himself was so easily exposed.  
However, thanks to Konoha's arrogance he is safe.  
No-one would believe an orphan boy would be the CEO or founder of UZU, especially when they thought the company was somewhere in the nation.  
Ninjas only care about threats to their village and merchants wouldn't know where to look until they became desperate or their money were threaten.  
This gave Naruto time to set-up his imaginary company before they realize they reached a deadend.

With Lady Shigure's help, Naruto can now plan ahead and at the same time mislead them.  
Most important of all stay ahead of the civilian council, this Shigure is more than happy to comply.  
In addition, Naruto also received profiles on all the council members and who to watch out for and which is the most influential.

From the way he sees it, as long as the council continues to grow, more people will suffer.  
Like the saying goes, for someone to get richer, someone else had to go poorer.  
This is also what worries Lady Shigure, so she agreed to support the blond even if only to slow down the council.  
They knew eventually they will need a long term plan and Naruto promised her he will do what he can.

So as agreed, Naruto will leave a few clones for protection and had them henged into big muscled body guards.  
Unknown to the shinobis, Naruto's henge is unlike theirs his was more like a transformation and much more durable.  
Only difference is, it needs a ton of chakra but with his Uzumaki lineage it is a piece of cake.  
Plus he also re-enforced them with seals to keep them from accidentally dispelled.

Come Together as One

Weeks had passed since Naruto took the deal with Lady Shigure and he couldn't agree more as it was one of the best choices he had made so far.  
With her help he was able to keep an eye and ear on the council as well as the rest of Konoha in case something that could come his way.  
At least he can watch over Higarashi's place as well as Teuchi the ramen chef along his daughter Ayame.  
They had all been part of his small circle of families as well as his new acquaintances Lady Shigure and her girls.

Though it was short but Naruto felt their friendship are genuine, especial the girl he had saved.  
Lady Shigure and her girls seems to be fond of him and often invited him for a free meal, they just relay the messages through his clones.  
It's like everyday, they did make something special just for him to try out so now Naruto had many favourite dishes though he still thinks ramen the greatest.

The other things our ex-ninja student liked about them, they are not afraid of his tenant.  
Since the blond had joined them, the girls had been pesting Shigure why the boy was so poorly treated in the village.  
They too all had their fair share of mis-treatment but Naruto's was entirely on a different scale.

From the playground, market, academy wherever he goes he never got a break and they suspected Shigure had knew the answer.  
So they all had came to their mother figure and hope to get a reasonable answer from her.  
Since she was a ninja thus she knew also the answers and explained with a bit of ninja theory behind it.  
That evening the girls each hugged our hero and told him they didn't care about the kyubi and he is always welcome to visit them.

Our hero had been surprised the ex-kunoichi had knew his secret, but she was a kunoichi she knew the difference between a boy and chakra beast.  
She joked that it would go against her profession as the village intelligence if she thinks he is the 9-tail fox.  
She also told him there are still some missing information, because there is no way a 60 foot fox would get that close to Konoha without anyone noticing.

Naruto could not help but agreed with her, as these were indeed some very good points and he already knew there was some involvement between Kyubi and Mito.  
He had already knew their relationship as well as how both Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha fit into it.  
The only missing piece was what happened in between, he will have to find out in his own time.

Aside from information gathering, Lady Shigure also acquire a place for him as both his workshop and warehouse.  
Not only is she highly connected she is also very resourceful, like him she knew almost every part of Konoha but maybe with exception of ROOTs.  
Which she knew of their existence but never found their base of operation and she had advised him to avoid them at all costs.  
With his Jinchuriki status he should be extra careful since Danzo Shimura had desires to recruit him to his private army.  
She was surprise the councilor had yet to act, maybe he thinks the boy didn't have talent but she urged him to be cautious anyway.

With her help, Naruto acquired an abandoned apartment building where he can generate more clones for his work force and away from preying eyes.  
He also needed extra clones for his other projects as well and his old apartment is just too small to do everything at the same time.  
Like always Lady Shigure had conditions and Naruto didn't mind the woman's antics because every request she made were never for herself so he quite happy to hear what she would ask of him.  
True enough, her condition were for him to help out the young orphans that she had to leave behind.

With her background as seduction mistress she had both knowledge and experience to train girls in her profession and to defend themselves.  
Hence the reason she had opened a massage parlor along with other entertainment joints mostly for men.  
Beside the point of making money, she kept her information network running so she can hear what's going on in Konoha.  
It was part of her that she couldn't let go as well as gaining further resources to help even more girls.  
She had always regret for not doing anything more for the other gender.

Now that Naruto had stormed into her life, she felt the opportunity to fix the problem she couldn't before.  
It pained her to remember the siblings that held on to one another even when she offered to give her a home and warm bed to sleep in.  
Shigure cried when the younger girl held on to her older brother tightly and wouldn't want to separated from one another.  
It doesn't matter whether you are sibling by blood or just happen to be there for one another but when a bond is made it is there for eternity.

Lady Shigure felt with Naruto's background, there is no-one more qualify than he to know what to do for them.  
Afterall like the saying goes, those who had experienced the same suffering would understand one another than those who have not.

Konoha may be big, but it didn't take Naruto long to find both the apartment and the children Shigure wanted him to help.  
Due to her insistency he was made to promise, to find the 2 siblings that were quite attached to one another.  
Thanks to her information network, Naruto was able to locate the 2 quickily from both their description and behaviours.  
Just the way Shigure had said about them, the two were always close to one another.  
So he knew he got the right pair.

After he rounded them up, he was able to convince them to move in with him.  
It also helped when most of them had heard of the famous blond orphan thus they knew he is one of them.  
To the village, the boy may be delinquent or even demon and monster but to these children he is no different to themselves.

Unknown to the village, most of the pranks he did were not part of his own payback from his own mis-treatment.  
Most of it were to help those that too were unfairly treated.  
The boy may get annoyed or even sad when others talk bad about him, but when he sees others being bullied he just have to do something.  
Sadly the only way he go about it usually end up in a lot of damage.

A good example is one time he saw some older children ganging up on a little girl.  
From the way she looked and dressed he immediately knew she was also an orphan.  
Unfortunately to the nearby merchant, Naruto took away the wheel stopper to his kart and send it directly at the bullies.  
The plan had worked, the gang flee like giant hornets were after them and eventually smashing them into the wall causing quite a bit of property damage.

In the end, he had to run from both the merchant and chunins trying to catch him.  
However, his deeds were not missed by the girl she had saved as she watch him ran from his pursuers.  
Our blond hero may not have know it, but this was the very same girl he had found upon request of Lady Shigure and become one of his most important guild members.  
Due to that same incident, she had been very afraid of being alone and often sticks to her older brother wherever he goes so the same thing never happen again.

Although she is both shy and very timid but she would never back down when she came to defend her savior.  
Other orphan were quite surprised when the least spoken and youngest among them would fired back so fiercely when they talk ill of the boy.  
Since then both her and Naruto were greatly admired, it was quite an accomplishment to see how the blond had changed the shy little girl they knew.  
This was how many of the orphans got to know him and learned about his deeds.

With the way he led the Chunins even Anbus in a merry chase as well as his pranks they felt he would succeed as a ninja.  
However, when they heard he had failed they were both sad and disappointed.  
They don't blame him because they knew he too had a hard life, but felt crushed by the fate card they were dealt with.

Added fact that Naruto was like them and received even more prejudice from the village then all of them combined.  
Yet still the blond never gave up, it just makes them feel how hopelessness and unfairness of the situation.  
Every graduation they see young and untalented genins graduate happily and yet someone strong like Naruto could not, it just couldn't make sense.

Since his disappearance from within the village, he was never heard again.  
So you can understand their shock when he just appears out of no where and then offered them a place they could call home.  
At first Naruto had mistaken their shock for not knowing who he was so he had to explain who had sent him and why he was doing it.

He even admitted he didn't know what to do with them for now, but he promised them they will be one big family.  
It does not matter whether they are related by blood or not, they will have each other under one house and look after one another.  
For orphans like themselves, it is one of their fondest dreams they could never have.  
Yet Naruto's words gave them hope and at the same time make them realize they were never alone in the beginning.

A home is not just a place with relatives, it is a place where they can feel safe and secure.  
A family does not have to have a father and a mother figure but someone whom you can count on.  
Naruto's words brought them to realize that family is not just about having a father or a mother figure.  
In fact, they are already a family themselves, they just need to support one another more.

Hence with all the children agreed to his invitation, they all followed him to their new home.  
Of course Naruto had to henge himself and separate them into smaller groups to avoid suspicion.  
They also had to take a long way to avoid being discovered, but with the blond and his clones leading them it was a piece of cake.  
Since the boy had been young, Naruto had discovered nearly every passage in the village.  
It is also another reason he can outrun both chunins and Anbus so efficiently.

The children were amazed at his trick as he transformed from blond whiskered boy to another common civilian folk.  
Some even recognize him as one of the villager hanging around Dustin's weapon shop.  
Naruto often uses the same disguise to hang out, it helps to bend in and for the villagers to get use to a new face to avoid suspicion.

Once they arrived, they were very happy to see how big it is but they were more awed at the clones running around.  
They had seen him producing clones when leading them here, but to see this many running around independently is just mindblowing.

They knew Naruto had been trained as a ninja but seeing an army of them would surely have impressed even the Hokage.  
So far as they had counted they spotted at least 40 different Narutos, each doing whatever labour they were instructed to do.  
One even stopped by to say hi and another come to the real Naruto and called him boss before giving him an report.

Having seen how amazing their leader is, one of the older kids asks if Naruto can train them because they too wanted to be strong and protect one another.  
The other too nodded and looked in his direction with hope as they too wanted to learn all the amazing abilities ninjas could do.  
Of course Naruto agreed without hesitation, even if they haven't asked he would still make them strong at least to his level.  
Especial when the council finds out about their link to him, he want everyone at least able to protect themselves.

That evening, aside from settling in their new home Naruto tells them his story and how he came to be as he is now.  
He knew his audience can be trusted because like many Jinchurikis these children too had suffered from the unjust of the village system.  
Like himself they too would understand him better then the rest of the village.

Since they are now living together, he felt they should at least be aware that its not going to be an easy life.  
To do that he have to explain the circumstances behind it as well as his involvement and also what Konoha had became.  
He knew he could trust these children because they all had been through so much hardship, so it is unfair not to know what they are getting into.

Very much like Shigure's girl, Naruto felt a little insecure and exposed in telling his secret and why the villagers hate him.  
He didn't need to worry as the little shy girl had stood up and supported him, she didn't believe he is the kyubi nor did she cared.  
It seems that the rest of the orphans respected the youngest girl in their group, it was as if she is their little leader.  
Naruto knew there must be a story there but didn't question it, it is their story to tell.  
In the meantime, he is happy that they had accepted him.

By the end of the discussion, they all agreed they have to keep an eye on the council to make sure they would do anything to them.  
Having lived as orphans and worked harder than normal villagers, many of them were abused by the so-called village leaders.  
These merchants often value their own merchandises than the lives of dirty orphan children that they endanger them without care.  
Like Naruto but to a lesser extreme, they were glared and watched like a criminal daring them to come any closer.  
Some of them were practically kicked out of their shops simply because they will put germs in their goods or pollute their fine establishment.

With the older kids running some of the information network, they were even more aware of their underhand tactics.  
Especially the way they forcefully evict older families just so their business can thrive or expand.  
Unfortunately, these people have power and backing of the full council, thus nothing can be done about it.  
After-all who would believe a dirty orphan over a respected merchant with backing of the council.


	3. Chapter 3 - Moving Forwards

Disclaimer: Just to note, I do not own Naruto and this Fanfiction is made only as a hobby of mine.

Again thanks for the support to this story. I am grateful for the response and thank you for that.  
I mentioned I was going to get to the Wave chapter last time, but unfortunately I was not able to include it.  
However, as you read this chapter I have already some drafted scenes and hopefully you will see them soon.  
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter too.

Bigger Family and Placements

With new additions to his family, Naruto had some trouble sorting out jobs for everyone.  
Especially when non of them were ninjas, so explaining the ropes is like teaching a monkey how to eat ramen with chopsticks.  
He was the academy failure, how is he going teach someone about ninjas when he couldn't even understand them himself.

Naruto is more of a doer then a thinker, therefore trying to explain something theoretical is just too much of a challenge for him.  
Still, he is not one to give up easily nor will he stop from finding another way to help each and everyone of them.  
It is just the way he is, and many of the children knew that thus followed him, even ones that are older.  
Especially from a group of orphans that lived and walked the similar life he had, it is also the reason why Naruto work so hard to get them stronger.

During the day, some of the older teens had already work as they continue to gather intel for lady Shigure.  
As for others, Naruto will have to divide and introduce them to some of his contacts.  
Such as weapon shop owner, both he and Naruto needed people they can trust so weapons wouldn't fall into wrong hands.

In the past Naruto had done all the deliveries himself while under henged, he can't risk using shadow clones because any mishap they get dispelled.  
Hence Naruto seldomly use his clones for any physical work.  
Should one be seen, you can guarantee the whole ninja population be on to you.  
You never know which nation would sky on you, hence the ninjas takes that duty very seriously.

Same with his henge, he could still be exposed thus with his new helpers they can support him with the deliveries without rising suspicion.  
Others will just think the orphan children finally putting themselves into some use other than taking space.  
Using a clone and henged into one of the regulars, he shown them the way and introduce them to the weapon shop.  
As the the siblings, he took them to Shigure's and at least to let them thank her in person.

Having talked with the matron so often, Naruto knew how she regret for not doing more for the two.  
Hence he planned a small reunion for them, it is also the reason he told everyone about her and how she owns the building.  
He was quite happy when the group hugged each other, it is a small consolation to their life and Naruto vow to bring happiness to people like them.  
Good people should not be repressed, and he believes it is about time they are rewarded.

As for the training he had promised, he had planned to add them to his schedule meaning they will have to wait until evenings.  
So during the day, everyone were split into their own jobs while evenings Naruto help them familiarize with what they want to learn.  
Again thanks to Mito's guidance, Naruto is at least competent enough to divide them into categories.  
With his limited knowledge on some areas such as ninjutsus, he advise them to look into libraries for basic jutsus.

Other arts such as Kenjutsus, he can show them the basics to get them started.  
He even promised to teach them his family style once they get proficient enough.  
Though he is the last of once great clan, but spiral sign of his clan were meant for greater things.  
Even the others aren't born Uzumakis, they all came together as one thus making them family anyway.

Like Naruto the other children too wanted to look out for one another and to also make a name for themselves.  
For all their life, they had been told they were worthless and treated like trash.  
It is obvious everyone of them wants to excel one another and be unique from everyone.  
This is one of the drive many lacked thus never reached their potential.

In time they will each be unique from one another, and that would be another story that may or may not be told.  
Unknown even to everyone in Konoha, Naruto is surprisingly very resourceful and very sneaky.  
He had demonstrated it when he tricked to steal the forbidden seals, and he had done it fairly easily.  
Too bad no-one recognizes that talent.

Together with his henge, he transforms into the last Uchiha and borrowed jutsus from the ninja library.  
With the way how they are treated, no-one bother to check nor forbid him from taking chunin level techniques.  
Having learned how the clan were favoured over others, it is no surprise why the blond dislike his former classmate.

This is one way how Naruto got extra jutsus for both himself and everyone.  
Since some of them were interested in Ninjutsu, thus he will let them work on them.  
Besides it save him the extra work load as his clones had been complaining about always reading scroll after scroll.  
Even he is tired from absorbing all the knowledge as they dispel themselves.

Since he dropped out from academy, his goal is no longer be the Hokage.  
Being away from their world he had realized it was a foolish dream.  
Even if he became stronger than all the kages combined, it does not mean he can automatically recognized as the village leader.  
Sad truth was, the village is now run by the coucil therefore it is most likely they will chose Sasuke if they could.

While Naruto didn't want to believe it, but Lady Shigure's analysis is not incorrect.  
Thanks to her advise, Naruto now has a smaller but more realitic goal.  
He may not be the leader of a big village, but he will be leader of his small group.  
He will guide them, make them stronger than any nin if he had too so they can be free to do whatever they wanted.

As they are now, he needed a plan both for his and their safety.  
He had been ran out of the orphanage before, therefore he knew what it is like having no where to go or a roof for home.  
Therefore he will need to looked in another source for home outside of Konoha.  
With the council mostly in control, there is no telling when they decide to clean street and drive them all out of the village.

In the meantime, the old apartment is under Shigure's name and registered as warehouse to avoid suspicion.  
If people asks, she can easily mask the real reason saying she is having homeless children as cheap labour in exchange for shelter.  
Of course, Naruto had informed everyone the plan and Lady Shigure is one of the trusted people so everyone's alright with it.

No one could dispute her claim anyway since she had the reputation in taking in orphan girls.  
Besides no-one really cares anyway, one dirty rat off the street is one less scum to clean.  
The whole idea was Naruto's for the purpose of using her name and to free her from the responsibility.  
After-all it's the same tactics the merchants often use when something does go wrong.

After hearing everything she had done from Naruto, everybody thanked her for it.  
They were very thankful, especially the sibling pair as they remembered her from that time and gave her a hug.  
Overall it was quite a tearful union but joyful one because they understands there are still some good people they can count on.

Lady Shigure too was very happy, she knew she can count on the boy.  
Even though Naruto too is still a child but Shigure knew he is destined for bigger things.  
If he had stayed as a ninja she had no doubt he would eventually made Hokage and would have made Konoha a better place.  
Too bad he was kicked off from the path, she wonder what he would do now.  
One thing she is sure of, whatever it is she will support him all the way.

Training and Chaos

With his new family and two main supporters in civilian side - Dustin and Shigure.  
Naruto continued with his seals as well as help training himself and everyone.  
Having also access to the ninja library is also an added bonus as well as new weapons from the weapon shop helped too.

With Shigure as retired Kunoichi, she can obtain ninja scrolls for researching purpose.  
Besides she was also a ninja herself, so occasionally she gives them tips from time to time.  
So often Naruto's new families often invites her and her girls over for big gathering just an excuse to get together.  
Naruto didn't minded since he is more of a crowd person so he too is happy for them.

As for Dustin, he too gave them some weapon training tips and scrolls he came across.  
He may be a weapon seller, but in his younger days he too were quite fascinated by them just as his daughter is now.  
So he learned quite a few styles and knew their strengths and weaknesses.  
He may not able to help all of them, but Naruto is thankful for his knowledge.

Aside from training, he had also caused chaos in the village by inventing more harmless seals for village kids.  
Of course he had some help from some of the younger members of his family as they interacted with other children and find out the latest hype.  
He even spread false information posing as outsider about other villages already supplying more prank seals that had cause chaos in other villages.  
What he is doing is only planting suggestive pranks to local kids by telling them what he saw other villages were doing.

It only makes the children happy thus the adults went on their own business, never suspecting him corrupting their young.  
Besides to the villagers, he is just a story-teller telling their kids all the fun stuff he had seen in his travels.  
It was harmless so no one paid him much attention after a few hearings.  
Villagers, children and sometimes even ninjas sometimes stop just to hear what the kids were laughing about.

Non seem to recognise him in his disguise, it's probably because of all the pranks he had played in the past.  
Due to his past experience, he have ways to fool even Anbus.  
Since nothing is going wrong in the village, no-one bother looking his way.

So under disguise, he cleverly imprint the pranks that children could do in their minds.  
At the same time he also made all of them creative as he exchange ideas with them.

The others may not know it, but Naruto's seal ideas were mainly came from both his creative minds as well as the children of Konoha.  
Children like attention, they like fun and games, and Naruto have both the key and resources to provide them.  
Surely enough, weeks later the seal for pranks talked among them came on sale and ninja in Konoha once again suffer from another humiliating defeat.

During his interactions, Naruto had never used his henge because it's too dangerous when ninjas may or may not spotted it.  
His encounter with Lady Shigure had taught him that so he is using actual disguises.  
Surprisingly he was quite convincing as he often went as old traveller or merchant.

Children are also great source of passing rumours, because no-one will take them seriously.  
However, as children talk adults and parents listen.  
Therefore with every kid in the village start talking about the same thing, nearly the whole village will know.

Sometimes he gets new ideas as kids thought it would be fun if ninjas can shoot shuriken instead of throwing them.  
It was the whole reason he start making ninja gears for children.  
Aside from earning a profit, he get a laugh from it as well.  
Thus, the reason he focus on making them as realistic as he can.

Not to mention he also subtly gave them the idea to use it as pranks by telling them stories he had heard from another village.  
The adults would not find out if it was true or false because he was the only source of information.  
Besides since it was pranks played by children it is very unlikely it gets recorded.

Inwardly Naruto laughed at his own genius mind and ideas.  
He almost couldn't hold himself from creating a clone and give himself a pad in the back.  
It is the perfect prank of all pranks, doing pranks while not doing them himself.  
No-one would ever link them to him because the village kids are doing a splendid job for him.

True enough it didn't take long before children in the village have access to minor ninja tags and new equipment.  
At first, he start off with simple tags where kids can play harmlessly.  
As a child himself, he knew what games children normally plays so he made paint tags.  
It explodes into harmless paints that covers the receiver's entire body.

Since then some children used them as pranks and made the village into multiple colours.  
Even more troubling, it happened right when everyone is in school so they couldn't catch the culprit.  
However, this only makes the ninja council happy because it was cleverly executed and instead wanted to reward the culprit.  
They even encourage the owner of the shop to keep importing the new tags because it is good training for their Anbu.  
At the same time, the anbu were reprimanded for their lack of attention.

Due to that incident, more children were encouraged to buy and try more tags and get involved in the game.  
Thanks to the creativeness of both maker and user, the ninjas in the village had to work twice as hard and stay on their toes at all times.  
One slip from them, they could end up either with a new hair dye or glue themselves somewhere embarrassing.  
Too bad, the Hokage thought it was a good practise for them because they were too lax if they were bested by a child.  
Surprisingly, these were the same ninjas that fell to Naruto's old pranks and beat him up in the past.

With more and more new seals appearing, the academy even had a special class and division for them.  
Too bad, children who had already had a hand in pranking with them were already more expert than the teachers.  
You did be surprised how good children adapt to new toys when they set their mind to it.

A Meeting with the Daimyo

It all started when one of the Daimyo's guards came to Dustin's store during one of the Daimyo's regular visits.  
Like other ninjas, the guard was so impressed that words caught the interests of their master and a small investigation were made.  
Just like Lady Shigure, they too had their own spy network and the result is obvious.  
With the Daimyo having access to economies across other nations he quickly came to the same conclusion who is behind UZU.

Later the Daimyo visit secretly and wanted to see it for himself.  
He too was interested because he needed a more secure safe.  
Thus, meeting the creator and request Naruto to make one for him.  
With money not an issue, he provide Naruto his specifications and giving him a week to complete.

The blonde sealer had thought over the parameters given, making it is not difficult but as an Uzumaki he should consider it more throughly.  
Afterall it is for the leader of his country, and if his business deals work out he could expand outside his own village.  
Besides the request was not only interesting and quite a challenge to our hero, the extra cash is also a bonus.  
Hence, the final design was not only complex, it requires also the user's blood and chakra in order to work.

While the Fire Leader only need one safe, Naruto actually built 2 and connect them via dimensional seal.  
He had advise one to be placed semi-open while another buried in the same room.  
It was a clever ruse just like magic as you can access both almost the same manner as Naruto demonstrates the trick.  
The goal was to mislead others that there is only one safe when in fact there are two.

Besides the Fire Daimyo gets two storage places and use the other as false lead.  
It is more secure because the second safe can only be accessed when the 1st safe is aligned as it is.  
If someone somehow managed to steal by extracting the whole safe they would never get to the 2nd.

Not that getting to the 1st was easy, because he had crafted the seals into both safes during forging.  
Along with many seals engraved in the room to prevent both doujutsu and ninjutsu usage they would never suspect another vault beneath them.  
Naruto had added every counter measure he knew for both protection as well as warning.

If someone henged trying to enter the room, they would be immediately dispelled.  
From the ways he had exploited every outcomes is nothing short of astonishing.  
In the end, the vault seem even more secure then the Hokage's vault, especially when it comes to the ingeniousness of how it was built.

When demonstrated to the daimyo, the fire leader joked that the only downside is he couldn't show off to the other daimyos.  
Besides the challenge, Naruto was pleased he is getting recgonition for it.  
It would help bring more frame to UZU seals he is making.

On the other hand the Fire Daimyo had the intention of meeting the last Uzumaki but because of his position he could not just summon a commoner.  
History had shown how both Fire country and Uzugakure been allies in the past and still is today.  
It is up to him to at least get to know the last Uzumaki like his ancestors.  
Hence, when his royal guard mentioned about seals and where it came from he seized the opportunity.  
Besides he too wanted a new safe since he had heard some of his fellow rulers had theirs easily broken into.

When Naruto had brought the finished seal to the Fire Capital he was immediately invited to the Daimyo Office.  
There the Fire Country leader admitted his excuse as well as praising the the finished product.  
Aside from that, both leader and Naruto sat together and talked about their past, present and future.  
In the end, the Fire Daimyo decided to support the last Uzumaki and help him in anyway he can.

For that reason, Naruto gave the Daimyo his summon card.  
It was a sign of trust between the Fire Leader and last Uzumaki as that card can summon him to the same room as the card holder.  
The card is only a prototype to the seals he was making.  
He had plans to use the same seal on his family members so they can call him in case of emergencies.

Since then Naruto's business skyrocketed, more ninjas came to buy his seals as they heard it was approved by the Fire Daimyo.  
Thanks to the Daimyo, rich lords and merchants too also came on occasions and requests for custom made seals.  
It seems that the Fire Daimyo had secretly informed some of his friends that someone in Dustin's shop can solve some of their problems.

They normally came as secret requests thus not drawn many attention to themselves.  
To the council and Anbu, they were just another client so no one bothered them.  
Even if they knew, they couldn't do anything because these people have both influence and power.

Most clients just came to him in secret because they didn't want anyone to know.  
For Naruto, it is even better as he didn't have to hide and he get more business.  
Rich merchants and clients often good business because not only can they attract the right kind of people they paid well.

It is ironic such deals were done in such underhand way, while the corrupt were done in broad daylight.  
So in the underworld kind of way, Uzumaki seals were very well known but under his alias UZU.  
Not just in the dark, but also in one specific ninja shop, it sells the same seals for both civilian and ninja use.  
There had been some enquiries to where the seals came from but they never managed to find the maker.

Naruto had in secret set up the whole confusion just so the council not able to trance it back to him.  
Years of pranks gave him all the edge he needed.  
The tricky part was to convince the ninjas to think they have just missed the supplier each time.

The shop owner had followed Naruto's suggestion and just told them that someone would deliver them when ready.  
Since it didn't have a fix schedule the ninjas just kept on waiting for something that didn't exist.  
Just for the fun of it, often Naruto would changed the supply routines.  
Sometimes by delivery ninja, sometimes as rich merchant and asking a local kid to bring to the shop.

The weapon shop owner was quite amused because he can see what the blonde was doing and enjoyed how he toyed with the ninjas.  
He had knew why the blonde failed and the unjust behind it, now the same failure toying with elite ninjas is just too funny.  
When he first heard how the blonde had failed 3 times, he was angry at the academy and at the Hokage.

There isn't really anything he can do because the whole thing was ran by the council.  
If they want to bend the rule to suit themselves, then he would play fire with fire.  
It was easier when the blonde had already a plan of his own, that's why he had agreed without much hesitation.

Besides the plan was sound and cleverly executed, no-one would be able to trance it back to both of them.  
Naruto would set up the delivery, while he plays ignorant.  
Thanks to contacts the blonde had with the Fire Lord, the fire country accountant would handle the payment.

The main reason for the council's interest was because of its applications.  
If they can secure its source then it is possible to gain an exclusive order only for their village.  
Too bad all of them couldn't recognised an Uzumaki seal when they see one.

It was no surprise no-one recognises the seals, because Naruto is the only Uzumaki to make them for commercial use.  
Besides, the only ones that might recognise them would be the Uzumakis themselves so he had nothing to worry for.

Differences between a normal seal master's seal and Uzumaki are its application.  
Seals with UZU are more durable and flexiable, some even civilians can use.  
Of course, civilian seals were made for simple use such as pain relievers to security vaults.  
Simple seals can redirect chakra flows or slow them down to reduce pain, its something Naruto had discovered and made for medical purpose.

As for ninjas, its application were much greater where both the seals potential and flexibility were greatly challenged.  
Depending on the type of seal, you can even adjust the power levels by charging more or less chakra into it.

Another difference to the seals are the training requirements.  
For normal seals, only a ninja with training can activate.  
Whereas, UZU seals they already contain the sealer's chakra hence more potent when you apply your own chakra.  
Unknown to them, it is said that each Uzumaki seal has their maker's signature, thus you can identify them if you know where to look. 


	4. Chapter 4 - Wave Village

Disclaimer: Just to note, I do not own Naruto and this fanfiction is made only as a hobby of mine.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in releasing this chapter. I had a few trouble deciding how the story would go and what I think each of the characters would do at each scene. Anyway, thanks again for the review and support. At this moment, I am writing the rest of this story in drafts thus will have many editing and changes so forgive me for the delay. As you can see, the way I am writing is line by line and sometimes deleting what was in between. Hope you like this story. Also, if you have not known. I have also another story available, if you are interested please check it out it's called "Naruto: Konoha's Incredible Hulk".

Wave Village

With both his businesses and everyone's training going well, Naruto was still feeling unease.  
Though he is no longer a ninja of the village, he guess he misses shouting his usual catchphrase - to be Hokage.  
The dream had been with him most of his life, it isn't easy for him to simply let go.

Ninja or no ninja he felt he had understood it didn't matter anymore, what matters are those that are important to him.  
So with the money he had earned, he hired able instructors and sometimes retired ninjas for training.  
Apparently there are many samurais and even missing nins living in Fire Capital.  
Through both his offer and charisma they agreed to train both him and guild members.

In addition, through the Fire Daimyo's influence he and his guild also receive training from the local Fire Temple.  
Of course all done without Konoha's knowledge, after-all it isn't their business to whom is receiving training from the Monks.  
The monks do not need permission from Konoha nor do they report to them.  
Besides only a few took the invitation from Naruto's guild.

It was a good thing too, since if a large group start heading out to the temple it would rise a few heads.  
As for the other members, they were not so interested in hand-to-hand or close combat so Naruto had to seek other means for them.  
He had a few that wanted to be a swordsmen while others wishes to learn range combat.

Their blond leader had not minded, in fact he was quite happy to support their decision and would do all he can to realize their dreams.  
Besides, it makes their guild more interesting as everyone specializes in something different.

As for the idea of calling themselves a guild, it all happened thanks to a bridge builder he met in a bar.  
It all started in one of his information gathering days where he was disguised as one of its regular customers.  
From his time with lady Shigure, he learned if you want the latest gossip, a bar is a good source for information.  
Hence, when Tazuna walked in Naruto knew immediately whom his new target is.

Tazuna happens to be there for his usual reason, to get a drink and also refill for his journey.  
With his life on a thin line you never know when you kick the bucket and never to see his family again.  
Especially when you are so far away from home and knowing the possible danger you about to cross to get back.

On top of that he had also lied about the mission classification since both he and his village can't afford the outrageous prices they charge for protection.  
With luck he had hope they would not encounter any ninjas but you never know what a tyrant like Gato would do.  
So besides getting a refill for his journey he couldn't help but get half drunk to avoid thinking what the midget would do next.

In his mind, he believed that completing the bridge would solve the economic problem and Gato would not bother them anymore.  
It was naive of him, but you can't blame him since he is only a normal civilian.  
The bridge builder may not know it at the time, but he was very lucky to come across the young seal master.  
Naruto may be both young and new to the art, but with all the Uzumaki knowledge stuffed in his head he is already a walking library.

With his "stranger opening" he got Tazuna to spill everything about Wave and even the trouble with Gato.  
Half drunk, Tazuna even told him about his master plan to build his bridge so they will not be dependent on him.  
Sadly Naruto can see many things go wrong and how naive the old man is.

Having he himself subjected to both greed and mistreatment Naruto knew things would not be so simple.  
The bridge builder seem to be a good man that really loved his village.  
His only wish was just for his village to return back to what it once was, a beautiful fishing port.

Like usual, Naruto couldn't help but to get himself involved in others affairs.  
Besides it was his way of thank you to the old man for giving him the idea of running a guild.  
Of course, if you wanted learn other's secret you should prepare to share your own.  
Hence the reason the topic flow into Naruto's guild proposal.  
As both thank you and worry for the bridge builder, he gave the old man his call card and showed him how to use it.

That night, Tazuna still remember the stranger that share his own weak moment of sorrow and dreams of putting his village back to where it once was.  
He didn't know why he told the man so much, even drunk the old man was quite reserved and wouldn't tell some stranger something so personal.  
Still he did recall the eyes of the stranger, somehow as crazy as it sound he felt safe to trust him.

He even felt a little safer when the man gave him a little assurance by giving him his business card.  
Even more weirder was to apply blood in case of emergency, he thought the guy was nuts.  
Still the man did give him some kind of confidence so he stored the card away for safe keeping.

Back to Naruto, he was just making his way back from both Lady Shigure and Dustin.  
Having come to the conclusion he will be going to wave, he had hoped both his more experienced friends have some useful information.  
As a result, he was not disappointed.  
Apparently Gato is very famous among merchants and underground world.

In fact a few civilian council members even had a few business exchange with him.  
It was free of course hence the delight of the councilor and the only condition was to keep him off Konoha's radar which was easy to do.  
Since Gato rarely deals with ninjas thus not many ninja villages bothered him or they keep a closed eye on his dealings.

Aside from the shady businesses, the corrupted businessman hires many mercenaries to fight for him.  
Rumored have it that he occasionally hires nuke-nins only to hand them over to their villages for bounties.  
Naruto didn't know if this information is accurate but he should expect a lot of combat in this mission or some high level fighting in case of ninjas.

Besides Shigure, he got the latest copy of the bingo from Dustin.  
Though retired, he still gets regular updates of active ninjas and weapons they use.  
It's useful information when you are selling weapons to ninjas, you can advise and make recommendations.

Dustin's advise isn't something he should ignore, as it did save him a few occasions since his first trip out of the village.  
He can still remember his first trip to the Fire Capital, he was captured the first day.  
However, thanks to Dustin's advise he had all his weapons sealed and easy to access.  
Luckily they were only low leveled bandits as he quickly made short work of them and freed the other captives.  
Since he was young and not a ninja they thought he was just a lost kid and took as a slave, if he had been older they probably would have killed him.

Since then he had a few more trips and destroyed a few camps.  
He may be more experienced now, but he wouldn't think he can take on any ninjas nevertheless missing-nins.  
Hence he discussed with Dustin in hope what other option he had.  
Sadly his only advise was to flee as he explains that instead of fighting he should consider the strategy of running away.

However, Dustin does give good advises because his objective was not to win the fight as his goal was to protect the bridge builder.  
If he was to fight, not only does he need to protect his client he also need to defend himself it was already an impossible task even for a jonin.  
Of course the weapon shop owner had to be right and Naruto can only sigh to his fate.  
Regardlessly he will be going to Wave but he knew combat will be unavoidable because he will be protecting his client while the opposition will try to kill him.

Path to Wave

The next day, Naruto left before the genin team sets off with Tazuna.  
He didn't want to cross their paths in case they recognize him.  
While it is true he is now civilian and he is free to go as he want but with his old classmates they bound to have questions.  
Besides he was the dead-last, he didn't want to hear anymore of their insults.  
Hence he left as soon as the gates were open.

Thanks to Tazuna telling him, he knew the others will be leaving around noon giving him hours ahead.  
Besides they will be traveling at civilian speed therefore even less likely to encounter each other.  
Naruto also knew two of his classmates will be there, along with another named Sai.  
He knew both the last Uchiha and his fan-girl Sakura, it was more reason he didn't want to see them too soon.

Since his independence he had became more responsible and didn't see his childhood crush as he did before.  
In fact he was disgusted at Sakura's behaviour.  
Thanks to his late outside missions, he knew being a ninja isn't something a fan-girl should be in.  
Still both the genin team and Tazuna have a capable ninja like Kakashi Hatake around he guessed they should be in good hands.  
At least that was what he had thought before he was summoned to the bridge builder.

Apparently, everything was fine with both Tazuna and his escort team until half way to their journey.  
That's when they meet the Demon brothers where the team fought and eventually won.  
Unfortunately that was also where the bridge builder's lie was exposed just as the jonin pointed out.

Before Tazuna can start his sad story the so-called representative of the royal clan Uchiha spoke up.  
It was unforgivable that the bridge builder lied to Konoha, he also uses the royal clan of the same village for free protection.  
Tazuna was lucky he wasn't killed on the spot for trying that stupid stunt.

Anyway, under mission protocol they have the right to cancel any mission that is outside its given parameters.  
Hence for the safety of his genins and result of an vote, Kakashi decided to redrawal from the mission.  
He didn't bother asking his other genins because Sai doesn't say anything and Sakura agrees whatever the Uchiha says.

All because of that, Tazuna was left sweating on his own as the team returns back to Konoha.  
They didn't even return his C rank pre-payment, said it was compensation that he was still alive.

He couldn't believe how close he had been with death but the children in charge of his protection had surprised him.  
When the Jonin had been killed he had been scared because he was left with only 3 kids.  
However, the efficiencies the genins had handled against the chunins were an eye opener for him but sadly what came after left him in cold sweat.

Having both been nearly killed by the last desperate attack and being found out of the mission details.  
He wasn't sure what the ninja he had hired would do to him, but seeing how they took care of his attackers he was afraid for his life.  
Both exhausted mentally and physically he tried to take a break from the nearest log but cut himself on something sharp.  
Cursing for his continuous bad luck, he quickly bandage himself in hope to stop the bleeding.

Unknown to the bridge builder, somehow he managed to get blood on Naruto's summon card and activate the summon.  
Since civilian's can't use chakra, Naruto had made new seals and security measures only to activate when blood is applied.  
It help to prevent accidental summoning and only use in serious situations.  
After-all no sane civilian would purposely cut themselves just for fun.

It was like one shock after another for the bridge builder as he end up on his ass.  
Thankfully it didn't take long for Naruto to calm him down.  
At least Tazuna still recognizes him, Naruto was a little afraid because Tazuna was a little drunk when they last talked.  
Still he is healthy enough to complain about ninjas maybe the death of him one day.

Unlike the other group, Tazuna is at least comfortable with this blond kid.  
Of course he was very surprised he was the same person he talked to yesterday, he was a little disappointed that he was a child.  
That is until Naruto point out that outward appearances doesn't change whom they were inside.  
The person whom he had a little heart to heart is no different to whom he sees today because basically they were the same person.

Like he had said it yesterday, he is here to repay for his ideas of a guild and also planned to set one up in Wave.  
He was there earlier until he got his summon and came here immediately.  
So in a way he had business there and Tazuna just happens to be going the same way.  
Naruto reassured him that he knew he is in trouble because he had already told him, it was the same reason he went ahead.

Tazuna was speechless and couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
Just as Naruto had said it, appearance is deceiving maybe he can get along with him even if he is just a kid.  
Normally the bridge builder had no problem chatting with children, but having a kid to defend him and relying on, it is another story.  
It is both a little weird and strange for a civilian when the child is not much older than his grandson.  
However, like yesterday this boy grows on you and soon he didn't seem to care who he is anymore as Naruto demonstrated how knowledgeable he is.

Without incident, they made it safely to the lake where a friend of the bridge builder was waiting.  
It was the only transportation available in order to reach the Wave islands.  
With Gato controlling the public access, they had to sneak in to get back to their own country and the small fishing boat was just the perfect transport.

Soon they got off the boat and continued side-by-side onwards while Naruto navigates to avoid potential ambush.  
He had explained it was how he made it to the Fire Capital on his own and avoid unnecessary combat.  
It reassurances Tazuna his new body guard knew what he was doing as well as keep his client calm as he explains the reasons of slight detour.  
It was a good thing too, as the bridge builder tends to start drinking when he got nervous.

They were around half way when Naruto immediately stopped, causing Tazuna to look down at his younger companion.  
He didn't even need to ask to know something was not right.  
In his short time he knew the blond and learning about the quick survival manual he too felt the area was too perfect for an ambush.  
Though he wouldn't have noticed the environment if not for the sudden stop and prepared himself.

As for our young seal master, he already knew they will be ambushed and this time not some chunin ninjas.  
So as soon as he sees the perfect battling ground he immediately stopped.  
He didn't have to wait long as a giant blade came spinning their way.  
Quickly he grabbed Tazuna and pulled him to the ground narrowly avoiding decapitation.

Following the blade, Naruto found their assailant and correctly deduced who he is.  
Zabuza Momochi - nuke-nin of Mist because of his failed assassination of the Mizukage, one of the 7 swordsman of the Mist.  
Appearing on top of his own blade Zabuza looked a little surprised that it was just a kid protecting his target and at the same time knew who he is.

After some short introduction Naruto knew the missing-nin would not be easy to deal with.  
So he offered the swordsman a deal, he offered to pay the man an A rank mission for training in place of his current mission.  
As expected Zabuza didn't take his deal due to principle and because it would be bad for business.

However, his answers didn't effect the young man very much because he had expected it.  
In fact he would be surprised if someone as famous as the 7 swordsman would change their mind so quickily.  
Instead Naruto offered him a bet or a challenge whatever he wishes to call it.  
Rising an eyebrow Zabuza had the blond to continue, he knew the boy is no match for him hence he is taking his time to hear what this kid have to say to convince him otherwise.

He mentioned that there is a rumor that Gato hiring missing-nins only later to stab them in their back.  
However, Naruto quickly added that this is not his bet it was just information for him to keep an eye open against Gato.  
Also in order to be worth his time, Naruto challenged the ex-Mist ninja that if they survive and managed to get away from him the Swordsman will give them a week's time before coming for them again.

With the pride of both swordsman and jonin, Zabuza liked this kid as well as his guts.  
Eventually agreed to the bet because he doubted the boy can get away himself, nevertheless taking a full grown civilian with him.  
Before they start, Naruto also added that he still want him as instructor should Gato ever betray his contract.

The swordsman nodded and got ready for their fight.  
From the look he sees in the blond's eyes, Zabuza knew the kid will gives his all thus he had some respect for him.  
No matter how outmatched the fight be or how unfair it was, Zabuza will honor it both as pride of one of the Mist's 7 swordsman and jonin.  
Clearly if the boy managed to survive no matter how unlikely it is, he did earn his small freedom.

Before they began the blond apologized and said he will see him in one week causing Zabuza to blink in confusion.  
However, he soon found out what the brat meant as he grabbed the bridge builder and teleported away.

He was momentously shocked - Was it a shishin?  
It was not as he couldn't find their signal anywhere, the jutsu is fast but only for a short distance (10 metres the most).  
After a while he just laughed, he just got played by a brat.  
Guess he will have to wait a week just as the kid had said.

Tazuna was a little disorientated as he reappear in front of his own house.  
It didn't take long for the two meeting the family and got invited into the house.

After a while and a little explanation, he now knew why he had sent a bunch of clones ahead.  
From what he can understand, his other replicas were carrying something similar to the card he had given him.  
Once ready they will summon them to their position hence where they are now.

Of course Tazuna asked why he didn't do it sooner instead of risking talking to the ninja.  
The bridge builder knew the kid in front of him is strong but also understood he is no match for the famous swordsman.  
Zabuza knew it, Naruto knew it and even Tazuna the civilian knew it but even Tazuna had to agree after his explanation.

At first when Naruto explains it was exactly the reason why it was necessary got him puzzled.  
The encounter is inevitable because the bridge builder is his target.  
They may escape today, but can they do it tomorrow, the day after and the day after that?  
Now Tazuna sees what Naruto was trying to do but couldn't help but ask if Zabuza would abide to his own words.

To that Naruto reassure him, 'he will' he said.  
For any low-life bandits, they may not care for their own promises but whom we are talk about isn't some thugs.  
He was once a member of the proud members of the 7 swordsman and respected jonin of great Kirigakure.  
Only because of difference when it comes to killing the bloodline faction had Zabuza rebel against their leader.

It seems that Naruto had thoroughly thought of everything and ensured both his and his family's safety.  
The blond had even anticipated that the swordsman do not have anyone stronger than he is because he will not work under another.  
Still Naruto had ensured his safety as he will be with him 24/7 and set up defensive measures.

Before they can close up, Tsunami's son appeared and greet everyone however he couldn't help to add he should give up before he dies.  
In the end, Inari just told the blond that he didn't their suffering before storming upstairs.  
However, before he could disappear he was stopped by the same blond.  
By then his tone chilled everyone in the room and completely frozen the young boy.

Somehow he got the young man to come back to him as he asked him if he knew why his grandfather is doing this and why he was the only body guard.  
Tsunami tried to stop Naruto but she was flagged down by her father.  
After short time hanging with the blond, Tazuna believe this young man maybe able to help his grandson so he let him continued.

Ignoring Tsunami's worried look, Naruto went on to explain how he found the bridge builder after he was abandoned by the ninjas.  
He also added that he had only met his grandfather once only in Konoha and willing to help him because his ideals.  
Looking at Inari in the eye, he asked again if he knew his age.

Then Naruto went on to tell them he was a dropout, a dead-last of the ninja academy.  
However, back in Konoha he took in other orphan children like himself and gave them all a chance.  
Even knowing everything going on in Wave he still stood by Tazuna and got him here in one piece.  
At this point, there is no going back because Gato had already someone targeting his grandfather.  
Like he had said, he is no ninja and only 12 years-old but he will stand by his grandfather no matter what.

By now both Inari and Tsunami were face full of tears as they too understand how serious this is.  
Tazuna too understood the risks and both him and his family were grateful Naruto said he would stand by them.  
Even they only knew him for a short time, they all believe he meant every word he had said.  
Looking down again to Inari's eyes he asked him if he is willing stand forward, because everything only needs a bravery of a single step.  
Naruto smiled when Inari took an involuntary step forwards, the young boy knew there is more than taken the step he asks - what now.

Putting his hand on the boy's head, Naruto told him he had now became a man of the house.  
There will be a time when he will once again take another step forward and do what is needed to protect both his mother and grandfather.  
Then Naruto went on the only history he cared in Konoha about their own heros, such as the Shodaime, Nidaime and finally the Yondaime.  
They were all leaders of their village and were viewed as heros because how they sacrificed themselves for the village.

He then said that Inari was right, there are no heroes in Wave.  
Naruto fully agreed, because all heroes requires sacrifice and with him here he would let grandfather be a hero.  
Looking over to Tazuna, he laughed that his grandfather's ugly mug would make a bad image for the youths of the village.  
Causing everyone at the table to laugh and lighten the atmosphere.

To lighten the mood more he said that he had already brought them an additional week's time from the main assassin.  
So until the end of the week Tazuna should be safe, Naruto also mentioned he will post his clones for each one of them and they should be enough against Gato's men.  
He maybe young, but against weak mercenaries they should be able to hold themselves or at least pull them all to safety.

In the worst case scenario he can always transport them all to Konoha and stay in his guild.  
By now, Inari had changed from depressed boy to one that shine with some hope and both Tsunami and Tazuna had noticed too.  
They couldn't help but thank the blond silently, it's been a while since Inari looked this alive and they both felt their lives are just getting better..

True enough Inari asks what he could do.  
Looking back again into the young man's eyes, Inari try showing his new resolve but didn't know how.  
It didn't matter Naruto had told him he will be showing him around Wave because he wants to have at least some field advantage.


End file.
